Italian education system

b

1. The Italian Education System Erasmus+ KA229 - School Exchange Partnerships   “ Different but together“ 2019 – 1 – RO01 – KA229 – 063163

2. The Italian education system is mainly a public State system . However , private subjects and public bodies can establish education institutions . Education at all levels must be open to everyone : Italian citizens as well as foreigner minors from both EU and non-EU countries . Compulsory education is free.

3. The principle of  inclusion   The principle of  inclusion   also applies to pupils with disabilities , to pupils with social and economic disadvantages and to immigrant pupils . .

4. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) ECEC  for children aged less than 3 years is offered by educational services ( servizi educativi ) ECEC  for children aged from 3 to 6 years is available at preprimary schools ( scuole dell'infanzia ). The two offers make up a single ECEC system , called ' integrated system ', which is part of the education system and is not compulsory   Compulsory education starts at 6 years of age and lasts for 10 years up to 16 years of age . It covers the whole first cycle of education and two years of the second cycle .

5. First cycle of education The first cycle of education is compulsory and is made up of  primary  and  lower secondary   education . Primary education ( scuola primaria ) starts at 6 years of age and lasts 5 years .  Lower secondary education ( scuola secondaria di I grado ) starts at 11 years of age and lasts 3 years . Within the first cycle , students  pass from one level to the next one without exams . At the end of the first cycle of education , students who pass the final state  examination progress directly to the second cycle of education , the first two years of which are compulsory . The school year generally starts at the beginning of September (the date depends on the Region ) and it ends in the first half of June . It is divided into terms of three or four months . At the end of each term students are evaluated with marks .

6. Second cycle of education The second cycle of education starts at the age of 14 and offers two different pathways : the upper secondary school education the regional vocational training system (IFP). The  upper secondary   school education ( scuola secondaria di II grado ) offers both general (liceo) and vocational ( technical and vocational ) programmes . Courses last 5 years . At the end of the upper secondary school education , students who successfully pass the final exam , receive a certificate that gives them access to higher education . A typical school day starts at 8.00 a.m. and finishes at about 2.00 p.m. Students have lunch at home. Then they do their homework and sport activities in the afternoon . They usually wear a school uniform only until the primary school , afterwards they are free to choose their own clothes .

7. Hope to meet you soon !